Tag: Historical

Earth is littered with evidence of intrepid, ancient peoples who had one big thing in common besides the genus Homo: they moved. Over millions of years, they spread throughout the world, leaving traces of their journey behind. Scientists are slowly closer to nailing down the details of this great migration, but every discovery of

Global influence is often measured by the military, political or economic might, but for some countries, it’s the strength of the culture – its food, fashion or entertainment – that most strongly impact the wider world. These culturally influential countries were recently ranked by U.S. News and World Report, based on

The Greek Orthodox monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai is located at the very place where God appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush, beneath the Mount of the Decalogue. In the providence of God, it is at this site also that the holy relics of Saint Catherine are enshrined.

An enigmatic sculpture of a king’s head dating back nearly 3,000 years has left researchers guessing at whose face it depicts. The 5cm (two-inch) sculpture is an exceedingly rare example of figurative art from the region during the ninth century BC – a period associated with biblical kings. It is

Deep within the interior of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel, carved into a mountainside in southern Egypt’s ancient Nubian Valley, lies a vast, wondrous world. Pillars adorned with intricate military artworks support a ceiling painted with winged vultures. Floor-to-ceiling hieroglyphics depicting the victorious battles of Pharaoh Ramses II, the

The University of Al-Karaouine, also written as al-Quaraouiyine and al-Qarawiyyin, is considered by the Guinness World Records as well as UNESCO as the oldest continuously operating, degree-granting university in the world. You’ll find it tucked within the winding alleyways of Fes el-Bali, Morocco, one of the world’s most ancient living cities.

The image of Stephen Hawking – who has died aged 76 – in his motorised wheelchair, with head, contorted slightly to one side and hands crossed over to work the controls, caught the public imagination, as a true symbol of the triumph of mind over matter. As with the Delphic oracle of

Paul Cummins, artist One rainy day in 2012, I ducked into my local library for shelter and, for some reason, started looking at wills. I found one written by a woman from Derby who had disguised herself as a man and gone off to fight – and die – in the

US evangelist Billy Graham – one of the most influential preachers of the 20th Century – has died aged 99 at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said. In a 60-year career, he is estimated to have preached to hundreds of millions

How Much Are Britain’s Crown Jewels Worth? Kings and queens of England have stored crowns, robes, and other items of their ceremonial regalia at the Tower of London for over 600 years. Since the 1600s, the coronation regalia itself, commonly known as the ‘Crown Jewels’ have been protected at the

10,000 Death Toll At Tiananmen Square Protest. The Chinese army crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests killed at least 10,000 people, according to newly-released UK documents. The figure was given in a secret diplomatic cable from the British ambassador to China, Alan Donald. The source was a friend of

A Chronicler Of ISIS Killing Machine Goes Public. Some 18 months after Mosul fell, he packed his bag with his most treasured possessions before going to bed; the 1 terabyte hard drive with his evidence against the Islamic State group, an orange notebook half-filled with notes on Ottoman history, and,

Why Moving The USA Embassy To Jerusalem Is So Contentious? Of all the issues at the heart of the enduring conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, none is as sensitive as the status of Jerusalem. (Read Updates Below). The holy city has been at the centre of peace-making efforts for decades.

The Simple Origins Of The Silk Road. Silk is a textile of ancient Chinese origin, woven from the protein fibre produced by the silkworm to make its cocoon, and was developed, according to Chinese tradition, sometime around the year 2,700 BC. Regarded as an extremely high-value product, it was reserved

Japanese Emperor Abdication Set For 30 April 2019. Japanese Emperor Akihito will abdicate on April 30, 2019, ending his three-decade reign and passing the throne to his son, a government council on imperial-family matters decided Friday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the head of the council, relayed the decision in a

Age Of Jesus Christ’s Purported Tomb Revealed. Over the centuries, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre has suffered violent attacks, fires, and earthquakes. It was totally destroyed in 1009 and subsequently rebuilt, leading modern scholars to question whether it could possibly be the site identified as the burial place of

In The Shadow Of Red October. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was one of the most explosive political events of the twentieth century. It was a pair of revolutions which dismantled the Romanov Tsarist imperial rule and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The February Revolution (March 1917) was a revolution focused around Petrograd (now Saint

Egypt’s Pharaohs Dated By Oldest Solar Eclipse. The description of a solar eclipse seemed different from that of the incident in the Book of Joshua, in the latter “the sun stood still over Gibeon” until the battle was won, and it further stated that this never happened again in the

100 Years After The Balfour Declaration. Britain’s public acknowledgement and support of the Zionist movement emerged from its growing concern surrounding the direction of the First World War. After soliciting—with varying degrees of success—the approval of France, the United States and Italy (including the Vatican), Lloyd George’s government went ahead

Medieval Treasure Bindings. These magnificently crafted medieval books are to be judged strictly by their covers. There are treasures to be found inside many medieval manuscripts, from pointing hands to menageries of misshapen animals and sword-wielding rabbits. But in rare instances, there is actual treasure as well. Pearls, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and precious metals adorn

The Untold Human History Of The Galapagos. The Galápagos Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón), part of the Republic of Ecuador, are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, 906 km (563 mi) west of continental Ecuador. The islands are known for their vast number of endemic species and were studied by Charles

The British Line Of Succession. This is a pictorial snapshot of who will take the English throne after Queen Elizabeth II. You may have got the first three generations correct, but I am sure you have not the foggiest idea who else is down the line, just in case there

Dunkirk’s Darkest Hour. The Dunkirk evacuation (code-named Operation Dynamo), also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940, during World War II. The operation was decided upon when large numbers of British, French, Belgian, and Canadian troops were cut off

Liu Xiaobo Obituary: 1955 – 2017. It was China’s decision to jail Liu Xiaobo for 11 years over a call for peaceful democratic reform that spurred the Norwegian Nobel committee to honour him with its peace prize in 2010 and propelled him to international renown. But his first nomination had come two decades earlier,

5 Maps That Explain The New Middle East. Islamic sectarianism is real. It is neither a myth, nor an illusion. It is real in its implications and its revelations in our everyday life. In many countries in the Middle East and beyond, sectarianism is experienced as a tool for identification, political organisation,

Hong Kong 20 Years After. Hong Kong is marking 20 years since the territory was handed from Britain to China, bringing an end to more than 150 years of colonial rule. When the Chinese flag was raised over the city on 1 July, 1997, Hong Kong was not entirely integrated with

Where The Earth’s Mightiest Army Roamed. Near the border of Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Siberia, close to Lake Kanas in north Xinjiang is where the Tuwa minority lives. Surrounded by snowcapped mountains, where the clear sky integrates with the beautiful blue of Kanas Lake, the white glaciers, the green grassland, the

The Army That Conquered The World. When a group of farmers stumbled onto the terracotta warriors of the first Chinese emperor in northeastern Xian in 1974, it captivated the world. According to a court historian, Siam Qian, over 720,000 labourers worked on the project that spanned 60 sq km and

How Far Apart The 2 Koreas Have Grown In 6 Decades. These are a series of charts that illustrate how different the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is from the Republic of Korea; viz., North Korea and South Korea respectively. The Korean War took place from 25 June 1950 to

Jesus’ Tomb To Be Unveiled To Public After $4 Million Restoration. Today, a ceremony to be officiated by the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, at the Tomb within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, will mark the completion of restoration work that begun nine

Restoring Christianity’s Holy Site In Israel. The Aedicule of the Tomb, shared among three religious communities, has the layout of a tomb from the time of Jesus, formed by a passageway in which the body was anointed and wrapped in a linen cloth, and placed in a separate burial chamber.

Africa’s Most Misunderstood Country? This photojournalistic BBC presentation, with videos and photographs, brings us on an armchair journey into Sudan and a part of her ancient history. The Kingdom of Kush, mentioned often in the Bible, was an ancient Nubian kingdom situated on the confluences of the Blue Nile, the White Nile and River Atbara, in what is

Donald Trump, The 45th President Of The USA. We are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you, the American people. We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital and in every hall of power. From

Background To The Cyprus Reunification Talks. A couple of decades ago, when I was on the island for a Christian consultation, we were driven to the border adjoining Turkish-occupied Cyprus. As we stood near the fenced-off border, the driver spoke with tears in his eyes, how he and his family

Ten Most Significant World Events In 2016. I think we all have a pretty good idea what some of these world-churning events are. James Lindsay for The Atlantic summarises these historic 2016 incidents for us. Depending on which end of the public opinion spectrum we subscribe to, the positivity or

1MDB: How A Malaysian Scandal Spread Across The World. In comments made by Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the Malaysian Minister of Urban Well-Being, Housing and Local Government in a BBC interview in September 2016, he said that the unnamed official “Malaysian Official 1” singled out by the U.S. Justice Dept in

A Museum Of 500,000 Oddities. The Pitt Rivers Museum displays the archeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The museum is located to the east of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and can only be accessed through that building. Founded in 1884 by Lt-General Augustus Pitt Rivers, who donated his collection

The Man Solving Malaysian Flight 370. Who is Blaine Alan Gibson? In this interview format article, we discover a little more about this investigative traveller who has taken an interest in the disappearance of Flight 370. An international passenger Boeing 777-200ER plane, scheduled as Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on

Nimrud, Destruction of Ancient Iraqi City By ISIS. The Iraqi army had made deep inroads into Nimrud on Tuesday, 15 November 2016, and this article informs us of the severity of the destruction by ISIS during its occupation since early 2015. Nimrud is the Arabic and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic name for the ancient Assyrian city of Kalhu (the Biblical Calah), located

Armistice Day. Armistice Day , on November 11, commemorates the signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany at 11am on November 11, 1918. Prince Harry will lead the UK’s Armistice Day remembrance services when he lays a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum on Friday. The 32-year-old is to

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“[To the Church in Laodicea] “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and […]

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

IC 59 and IC 63 in Cassiopeia. Image Credit & Copyright: Ken Crawford (Rancho Del Sol Obs). Looking toward the constellation Cassiopeia, the colourful skyscape features the swept back, comet-shaped clouds IC 59 (left) and IC 63. About 600 light-years distant, but they are slowly dissipating under the influence of ionizing ultraviolet radiation from hot, luminous star gamma Cas. Gamma Cas is physically located only 3 to 4 light-years from the nebulae, off the upper right edge of the frame. Slightly closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is dominated by red H-alpha light emitted as the ionized hydrogen atoms with electrons. Farther from the star, IC 59 shows proportionally less H-alpha emission but more of the characteristic blue tint of dust reflected starlight.

Hours before the rise of the very star it will study, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe launched from Florida Sunday to begin its journey to the Sun, where it will undertake a landmark mission. The spacecraft will transmit its first science observations in December, beginning a revolution in our understanding of the star that makes life […]

Transforming the inhospitable Martian environment into a place astronauts could explore without life support is not possible without technology well beyond today’s capabilities.

The Human Brain

The attention span of the human brain is getting shorter. We have lost almost four seconds of our attention span in the past 15 years. This means we cannot concentrate on a thing for more than 8 seconds on an average.

Mangroves could well be our last line of defense against climate change. But they're under threat.

ʻAulani Wilhelm

Imago Dei

The Kayapo are an indigenous people in Brazil, from the plain islands of the Mato Grosso and Pará in Brazil, south of the Amazon Basin and along Rio Xingu and its tributaries. They call themselves "Mebengokre," which means "people of the wellspring." In 2010, there was an estimated 8,638 Kayapos. Subgroups include the Xikrin, Gorotire, Mekranoti and Metyktire. Their villages typically consist of a dozen huts.

Source: World Food Programme Country: occupied Palestinian territory The funds – channelled through ECHO – will allow about 210,000 extremely poor people to purchase the food of their choice for one and a half months, the agency said.JERUSALEM – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Palestine welcomed a contribution of €2.95 million (US$3.6 […]

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Country: China, India Fall Armyworm could threaten the food security and livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers in Asia as the invasive crop-eating pest is highly likely to spread further from India.FAO offers its expertise to farmers and governments in Asia on best ways to manage […]

National Flag of the Mauritania

The flag of Mauritania is a green field containing a gold star and crescent, with a red stripe at the top and bottom of the field. It was adopted on 1 April 1959. Green is used to symbolise Islam, and the gold is for the sands of the Sahara desert. The two red stripes, which represent the efforts and sacrifices of the Mauritanians, the price of their blood to defend their country.

Exercise normal precautions in Burma. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Do not travel to: Maungdaw, Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, and Buthidaung townships in Rakhine State due to civil unrest. Paletwa township in Chin State due to civil unrest. Hpakan, Mansi, Momauk, Sumprabum, Tanai, and Waingmaw townships in Kachin State due to civil […]

Reconsider travel to Haiti due to crime and civil unrest. On July 9, 2018, the U.S. government authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families. Violent crime, such as armed robbery, is common. Protests, tire burning, and road blockages are frequent and often spontaneous. Local police may lack the resources to […]

Narsturtium

Latest update: Summary - addition of information; there have been an increased number of political protests, centred on the main government building in Bucharest, but also affecting other major cities in Romania; you should follow local media and avoid demonstrations or other large gatherings

Latest update: Travel advice for the territory of American Samoa will now be included in our travel advice page for the USA. This page will be removed from GOV.UK shortly. If you have subscribed to receive email alerts for American Samoa, you will no longer receive updates. If you wish to continue to receive updates […]

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Work of Art

Known as “the prehistoric Sistine Chapel,” the Lascaux Caves, a cave complex in southwestern France, contain some of the most remarkable palaeolithic cave paintings in the world, from at least 15,000 years ago. The cave was discovered on 12 September 1940 by four teenagers, Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel, and Simon Coencas, as well as Ravidat’s dog, Robot. Public access was made easier after World War II. By 1955, the carbon dioxide produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings. The cave was closed to the public in 1963 in order to preserve the art.

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If you lose face, your status falls and you aren't respected as much as you were.

Pray for Christians in India

FATHER AND SON BRUTALLY ATTACKED BY RADICALS. Click on image for more information.

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Creation is enthralling and mysterious, and the wisdom of God remains perennially unfathomable. To know Him is to barely understand His heart but to know myself, despite the many regrettable mistakes that have been made, is to understand the sufficiency of His grace, faithfulness, and lovingkindness. My enriching journey with Him took me through the halls of national service (the army), auditing, cross-cultural missionary service, church work, mentoring, psychology, and caregiving. Although now in retirement, I am still very much a learner at heart and an avid reader, and despite the smudges in life, I love it. Eternity then becomes a lifelong expectation. Zheluo Cai

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Ichthus

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Christian Love

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 8.